


Rescue Me

by Genie60



Series: Poldark Series 3-This and That [17]
Category: Poldark (TV 2015)
Genre: Communication, F/M, Marriage, Past Relationship(s), Reconciliation, S3 filler, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 09:42:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11848956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genie60/pseuds/Genie60
Summary: S3 Ep1 filler...what if Ross went home and had a conversation with Demelza about Elizabeth's near fatal ride?  And a reimagining of Demelza's news.





	Rescue Me

**Author's Note:**

> Just some fluff I found on my computer that was forgotten. Again, if only they had conversations like this.

Ross watched as the two figures on horseback rode away, leaving him on the cliff’s edge, still catching his breath. He was not only winded from the rush to seize the runaway horse but from the emotion of the incident. It was the first time since that night in May that he had faced Elizabeth.  From the cold reception, he could tell that his appearance was less than welcome. When he explained that he couldn’t just leave her in such a precarious situation, her response had been surprising but not wrong.  Hadn’t he done that before, she reminded him?  Ross stepped back from the steed at that point, looked at the woman he once considered his great but untouchable love and wondered how they came to this place. 

A few short years ago, that now seemed more like a lifetime, she was the person he lived for; the person that got him through the war to return home, to her and the life they planned.  Or so he thought. When that was torn from him the night of his homecoming, he had lost faith and hope.  He was broken and he didn’t care.  Not even the arrival of the red headed urchin could bring him out of himself.  It was not until Elizabeth announced she was carrying Francis’ child that he finally realized it was time to let go.  In doing so, he allowed himself to open up to the rest of his life: his mine, his estate, his friends and the now grown urchin who had become a vital part of his life.  Seamlessly and without fanfare, Demelza Carne rooted herself in Nampara as if she were born to be a part of it.  And him.

That was until that fateful day last spring where Ross basically threw almost ten years of a relationship away for ten minutes of what?  What was that night about?  Control? Possibly.  Sex?  In the end that’s what it appeared to be.  Ross’s chance to have what he’d fantasized about which turned out to be less than fulfilling.  Certainly not love.  By the pre-dawn hours, it was clear that there was no love in that room.  Unfortunately, it came too late to stop what transpired but still, it allowed him to recognize what love was. And like today, that love was not in front of him on that cliffside but home, with his wife and child, who were waiting for him. Again.

Ross knew that this time there would be no avoidance of a situation.  He’d learned by the almost loss of Demelza that no communication only led to more misunderstanding and distrust.  They were still on the tenuous ground which he was not going to jeopardize by keeping this encounter with Elizabeth a secret.  He would rather tell Demelza, deal with her wrath (or whatever else she was inclined to throw at him) and move on.  They had too much in the balance to risk it now by tip toeing around this subject that has been a part of their relationship from the first day they met.

Jumping on his horse, Ross road along the cliffs at a steady pace, formulating what he was going to say to Demelza about his latest adventure.  He hoped, considering the situation that she would have compassion or at least understanding about why he had to take a chance to save Elizabeth.  He can’t imagine that Demelza, even at her most angry, would wish harm or injury to anyone, even Elizabeth. Especially since there was a child involved. However, Ross thought, that would be the rub. The child. Elizabeth’s child.  His child?  It was the first time that Ross let that idea enter his mind.  In the months that passed since he found Demelza at Trenwith fighting a mob of their friends and villagers, and news of Elizabeth's condition was made known, Ross avoided the possibility at all costs.  Demelza, he knew, had not. She was the cleverer of the two of them and if he knew his wife, she had realized the possibility of Ross being the father the night she found out. But being the woman she was, Demelza put that out of her head so that she could move on.  It was a trait that Ross admired and envied but didn’t fully comprehend.  

Demelza could put aside some things for the greater good. He on the other hand held on to a hurt or wrong until it created another wrong. His long buried resentment towards Elizabeth and George, while separate emotions, led to his reckless act of May 9th.  Now there were most assuredly consequences from that event, but he was not prepared to face or deal with it.  How could he?  What could he do?  There was no way to prove or disprove who the father of Elizabeth’s child was so it was the issue that was not discussed.  For now, while he and Demelza fought towards complete reconciliation, it had to be that way.  Perhaps later on, when things were more settled, they could talk about this.  If he knew his wife, and he thought he did, the thing that would be most hurtful to Demelza was not the actual presence of a child but the fact that she was not its mother.  That she was no longer the sole mother of his children.  It was one more wound he would have inflicted on her and one which Ross could not bear. 

Without noticing, he had reached Nampara.  The grounds were quiet with no sign of Demelza, Jeremy or Prudie.  Putting Darkie in his stall, Ross walked into the house through the back to the kitchen following the sound of his wife’s voice. She was singing, something she hadn’t done much of lately and it was good to hear it resonate through the house.  Ross stood outside the door, listening for a moment before entering the room.

“Demelza?” he said softly.

“Judas! You gave me a fright!” she cried.

“I’m sorry my love, I didn’t mean to do so. Your singing mesmerized me,” he said.

Demelza smiled and shook her head, her hair tied up in a scarf.

“Mesmerized? Surely you’re joking with me, Ross,” she said as she went back to shaping a pie.

He came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and placed a gentle kiss in the space between her neck and shoulder. He thought he felt a change in her abdomen but then put it down to just the layers of clothing she wore. 

“Ross what has gotten into you?” she asked, twisting her head to look at him.

Demelza could tell that something was bothering her husband. Since their reconciliation she had been more sensitive to changes in his personality, picking up on the most subtle alterations in his facial expressions or speaking voice. Today he was overly reserved as if something was on his mind that he wanted to talk about but didn’t quite know how to say it.

“Something’s happened,” she said as she pulled away from his grasp so that she could turn and look at him fully.

Ross searched her face and saw openness and love. Despite going to the edge of their marriage, they fought their way back to solid ground. Now he was about to shake that foundation again with his confession of a good deed. 

“In a way, you could say that,” Ross said.

He moved around the table to sit down, pouring a mug of ale from the pitcher that was placed there and took a gulp.  Demelza sat down opposite him and waited for him to start. Some inner warning signal went up with a feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hadn’t felt like this since May.  Closing her eyes, she pushed that out of her mind and opened them slowly to look at Ross.  His eyes were soft, the ends slightly crinkled as he smiled.  Reaching across the span of the table he took her hand and caressed it gently. Now Demelza was starting to panic as she looked down at their linked fingers and for some reason, seemed to know what this was about.

“Has this to do with Elizabeth?” she asked. Her eyes were downcast, her hand tensing as she tried to pull it away from his.

“Yes,” Ross said, holding tightly to her.  He was not going to let her get away this time.

“What now, Ross?”

Her tone was impatient and Ross knew the quicker he explained the quicker they could talk, quarrel and move on. Or so he hoped.

“Nothing to make you worry Demelza,”

She didn’t quite believe him just as a matter of routine.  Any dealings with Elizabeth usually had some ill after effects.

“What then?”

“I was riding towards town when I saw a horse running wild towards the cliff edge. I couldn’t let it go over so I raced to stop it before both were injured or killed. It turned out to be Elizabeth.”

He paused and watched her face for any kind of reaction.  Surprisingly there was none.  For the first time, Demelza’s countenance gave away nothing.

“And did you rescue her Ross?” Her tone was short but not harsh. 

“Yes.  She didn’t seem too glad about it.  In fact, it was almost as if she were angry with me for doing so.  If I didn’t know better I would think she was riding recklessly on purpose.”

That last statement was said almost to himself.  Demelza sat back and looked at Ross wondering if what he was saying could be true. Would Elizabeth risk her life and the life of her child?  Or did she plan again to put herself in a situation that would conveniently need Ross’s intervention?

“I see.  And what led you to that conclusion? Did Elizabeth say something to you? Or was there some silent communication between the two of you?”

Now Demelza was beginning to sound angry. Sarcasm was evident in her voice and she was making no apologies for it.

“I don’t know Demelza. Something in her reaction to my assistance,” he explained.

“Well, it’s a good thing you were riding past when you did.  Who knows what might have happened if she missed you,” Demelza said.

She left that statement out there as she went back to her chores. Her focus was redirected to the pastry in front of her, concentrating on that rather than her husband.

“Demelza, there is no need for you to be angry. I am telling you what happened because I don’t want any secrets between us and I don’t want you to hear it from anyone else.  Please, look at me.”

Raising her head up, Demelza did look at him and there were tears in her eyes.  Ross knew exactly what she was thinking and wasted no time going to her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly, her head on his shoulder.

“I meant what I said that night my love. She will never come between us again.  What would you have me do?  Let her ride off a cliff so that I would bear the responsibility of the death of not one but two people?  I know you Demelza. You are not vindictive that way.”

She looked up at him and saw that he was totally sincere in his statement.

“No of course not. It’s just that sometimes I wish that you would come running to my rescue,” she said.

Ross pulled back to look at her wondering where this sentiment was coming from.  Why was she so emotional about this? 

“Demelza you have me all the time.  There is no need for me to come to your rescue,” he said.

She sat back down at the table, wiped her tears and tried to smile.  She wished that her husband understood that sometimes wives needed their husbands to see them as not the strong, fierce women that they relied on to keep their homes running. Sometimes wives wanted to be delicate flowers who were admired and treated gently as though if left alone they would wither and fade away. But Demelza knew Ross was not that sort of husband. Sweet words and attention did not come easily to him.  For Ross Poldark, a grand gesture, like saving someone on a runaway horse or a sexless urchin from a dogfight was his way of showing that he cared. Thinking back to that market day, Demelza was reminded of the time Ross Poldark did rescue her.

“Well, I suppose I shouldn’t complain. After all, you did rescue me once.  Although it seems like a lifetime ago,” she said.

Now the smile that previously seemed to be forced came easily to her face.  Ross lifted his hand to touch Demelza’s cheek as she instinctively leaned into him.

“In truth my love it was not I who did the rescuing that day.  While I might have saved you from the streets, it was you who saved me from myself.  And in that I am forever grateful,” Ross said, placing a kiss to her lips.

“Then we are on an even plain, Ross.”

“We are Demelza.  And as such, let us move past today and yesterday and think about tomorrow.”

Demelza’s expression changed as she thought about something she had wanted to tell Ross for a few weeks but could not find the right time.  It seemed now the time presented itself.

“Ross?” she started.

He had taken her hands in his, caressing the ring on her finger absently.

“I’ve something to tell you but I think you will not like it.”

Ross’s curiosity was piqued at her words. What could she possibly have to say that would be unpleasant?

“I’m with child again,” she said quietly as she looked at their joined hands.

“Demelza, are you certain?”

“Yes. Very.  You’re not displeased?”

His face broke out in a grin, easing her fear that this might not be welcome news.

“Well, it is a bit of a surprise…” he began.

Demelza raised her eyebrow at his statement and Ross realized how silly the comment was considering the path their reconciliation had taken.

“Fine.  Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise. But I wish things were more certain. With the war in the wind who knows what the future holds for us.”

His grip on her hand remained steady which Demelza knew was his way of looking for reassurance.

“Ross, the world will never be a certain place.  If people waited for things to be settled and calm all the time there would never be children being born.  Life is ever changing, even those things that we deem certain.  Like fortune, or status.  Or people.”

She paused at that point to let her words take root.  In the recent past what Demelza thought was certain was shaken to the core and yet, she found the strength within herself and her marriage to move forward. Now she hoped Ross saw that this child was a symbol of that and would embrace him or her with the same love she already felt.

“As always my love, your common sense reigns supreme,” Ross said, kissing her hands.

“Let’s hope you remember that the next time you get a notion to do something reckless.”

“I will. You have my word,” he said.

“I will hold you to that Ross,” Demelza replied.

“I’m sure you will Demelza.  I’m sure you will.” 

**Author's Note:**

> A little bridge while I finish chapters of the other fics...
> 
> And yes this has similarities to another fic "Ain't too Proud to Beg" but I guess my brain works in multiple scenarios. Sorry if it's repetitive


End file.
